My Jacob
by xmaraudergirlsx
Summary: Nessie starts school in Seattle but has to leave her best friend back in the Forks. She thought this would be the worst of her worries, but now she has to deal with school, boys and the reality of not being human. OC/Nessie/Jacob
1. Leaving

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters you recognize from the Twilight Saga, nor any events, locations and anything that clearly belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**_

_**A/N: My first Twilight story: Pairing - Nessie and Jacob, although an OC comes in the way. Bear with me, I am used to writing Harry Potter fanfiction, but hopefully this one will be good too. Let me know what I can do to make things better :)**_

**My Jacob**

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Chapter One: Leaving

Of everything bizarre in my world I am undeniably the strangest. Yes, there were others like me but they weren't around at all. Although I acknowledged this fact and had long since accepted it, there were other things on my mind. We were moving to Seattle tomorrow because last week, Mom had unfortunately run into her friend from High School. Although she and Dad were quite sure Mike Newton would trick himself into believing that she looked older and had not gotten unnaturally beautiful, Grandpa Carlisle thought it would be best if we moved on. I had grown to full maturity though I was only fifteen and it was time that I started High School. I should've started ages ago but mentally Dad and Carlisle seemed to think I was already too advanced to learn with people my age. There was of course also the fact that I resembled both my mother and father too fiercely to ever go to school in the Forks. I was excited of course, to finally expand my acquaintances to more than just family members and such, but there was one problem.

Jacob. My Jacob. There hadn't been a day in my life that had gone by that my best friend hadn't been over and it was rigidly difficult to even imagine that changing. He had promised me that he would run there every night, any time I needed him but the fact that he looked more cut up than I did underneath it all, did little for my mood.

We were at the big house, our bags already packed and ready to go in the Volvo. I didn't understand why Mom didn't want to take one of the fun cars, but Dad promised I'd have my pick when I passed my driver's test in Seattle. I was sitting in the living room, pretending to watch the Mariners game on TV with Uncle Emmett, but really tuning in to the conversation that was taking place in the kitchen. For tremendously intelligent vampires, my family seemed to forget that just like them, the walls of a room were no barrier for my super sensitive hearing. Seeing my glazed over look, Emmett turned up the volume on the television, hoping to drown out the conversation in the next room. Aunt Rosalie covered her ears in disgust but said nothing as she idly played with hair, looking more human than I'd ever seen her. The sound of the television was easy to ignore, especially since the voices in the next room had been raised.

"You just don't get it Edward…taking her away? Taking her away from me…it's going to…" he stopped mid sentence but Dad had obviously heard everything in his head.

"I know Jacob," he replied sadly to the unspoken words. "If there was any other way, believe me we'd want to stay too. Contrary to popular belief, we don't enjoy uprooting our family."

"This blows," Jacob said huffily and I heard a hint of a growl.

"Jake, pull yourself together! Seattle's only an hour's run at most. It could be worse, we could've moved to L.A!" Mom said making the three of them chuckle.

L.A. With its sunny days and warm weather. I wrinkled my nose at the thoughts. I much preferred the cold and the snow and especially the rain. The smell in the air was gorgeous. The only thing about the sun that appealed to me was the sparkle on my family's skin when they stood in the rays. I used to make Dad stand there for hours in the meadow, it was beautiful. I had wished fervently to look that way but as I grew, I knew I was the lucky one. I would always blend in better than the others. Smiling a little, I tried to listen again, wondering if Jake might give away a little more of his feelings about us leaving. He was taking our separation too lightly. He was always cheerful when he talked about it, making it seem like I was only moving houses instead of towns. I knew he had to stay. He hadn't finished school yet, having taken a break for almost fourteen years, so he had to finish. I'd heard Mom say I'd outgrow him if I knew more and that seemed to have the desired impact on Jake. He'd be a senior while I was entering as a sophomore. What no one seemed to realize was that I'd never outgrow Jake. Unfortunately, my thoughts were cut off by the appearance of my Aunt Alice, who danced into the room with a wide, knowing smile on her face. Uncle Jasper was smiling too, shaking his head as he joined Emmett on the sofa and watched Alice sit beside me.

"Nessie, don't you want to put a jacket on?" she asked, a grin playing at her lips. I was confused.

"Why Alice?" I asked her but she just smiled and looked at the kitchen door. A moment later, my parents emerged with Jacob still looking tense, but more agreeable.

"Ness, want to go for a walk?" Jake asked me, coming over.

"It's supposed to be cold out Rennesme, don't forget a sweater," Mom said throwing me one. I fought to roll my eyes. Why was I the only one who felt temperature in this twisted extended family?

I glanced at Alice who was still grinning and I muttered, "Show off!"

She laughed at my petulancy and went to sit in Jasper's lap. Dad was watching Jacob carefully as always and I knew he was reading his thoughts. Jacob winced and closed his eyes, obviously trying to clear his head to keep his thoughts a secret from Dad. I saw Dad smile his crooked smile at Mom and as they always did, looked undeniably in love. It was always a strange feeling, seeing two people who were so completely my parents in both spirit and actuality, but at the same time see two people who looked very much like they could go to school with me. We hadn't completely figured out the quirks yet, but Carlisle had suggested that Dad and Mom pose as students too. I hadn't had the chance, but I was definitely not going to agree to that one.

"Don't be late Rennesme," Dad said ruffling my hair a little. We both laughed. They all knew that even if I was late, I couldn't be safer with anyone than I was with Jacob.

"When are we leaving?" I asked.

"Probably about midnight," Carlisle said from the dining room table. He seemed to still be making arrangements for our new life as Esme smiled as she packed up the silk rugs carefully. Grandma would have a lot of fun redecorating the new house, I was sure.

"You can sleep in the car," Dad added and I shrugged. Sure, I slept but how could I when I knew while I slept, I'd only be moving further and further from my best friend in the whole world.

"Let's go Ness," Jake said a bit impatiently holding out his hand. I took it and followed him from the house.

"Where should we go?" I asked him, but his expression was horribly grim.

"Far enough so no one can hear us talk…or think," he muttered as an afterthought and I almost heard my father chuckle.

"So will we run?" I asked.

"No, you're too slow," he said bluntly.

I was mortally offended. Sure, I was faster than the average human but truthfully I could only keep up with the best of the Olympic runners. My family and Jacob were far, far superior physically but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that Jake, never, ever had made it seem like a handicap before.

He seemed to notice my annoyance and immediately softened.

"Aw Ness, I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind."

I sighed and touched his face showing him exactly what he looked and sounded like. I carefully tried to hide the fact that I was utterly confused by his behavior.

He sighed deeply and looked more apologetic. "Let's wait to talk, ok?"

I shrugged again and stopped. "So how are we getting far away Jacob? Are you going to phase? _Will I have to ride you?_" I asked in irritation. Suddenly, his face reddened and he looked entirely flustered.

"Uh...ah…" he stammered, staring at me and dropping my hand. I was puzzled…was it something I said? It got all the more confusing when Dad came storming out of the house, walking with controlled briskness towards us.

"Crap," Jake muttered looking at his feet. What on earth was going on here!?

"Jacob. Take my car and go to La Push. I won't hear you there," Dad said through gritted teeth.

"Why…is…"

"Ness, shut up," Jacob said quickly and grabbed my hand again, taking the keys.

"Thanks Edward."

My father just glared and watched me with concern.

"Dad…really, calm down. I'm with Jacob!" I said soothingly as my wolf pulled me away to the garage.

"Exactly what I'm worked up about…" Dad murmured before nodding and walking back to the house.

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"Hungry?" Jacob asked when we pulled in front of his house at La Push.

"You want to go hunting?" I asked.

"No I was thinking more like really rare steak," he said with a laugh.

I laughed too. "Yeah, I suppose I could do with that."

He grinned his wonderful, happy, carefree grin and went to the refrigerator to retrieve the meat. I sat at the table running my hands over the checkered tablecloth. Billy had clearly not washed it in a while. It was grayish yellow where I was quite certain it ought to be white.

"Jake, you really ought to keep a better eye on your dad. This tablecloth is filthy."

He laughed. "Oh I know, but you know…human eyes, he probably washed it a couple days ago. Ness, you really don't need to worry. My Dad is a grown man, he takes care of himself."

"And I'm a grown girl," I said as he put the rare steak in between us.

He smiled. "Yeah, but I like taking care of you."

I smiled too, shyly, eating the steak. It was one of the few human foods I actually enjoyed and not just dealt with. I ate my full before pushing the plate to him. We always did it this way when we shared, knowing if he ate at the same time, I would never have enough time to eat my full.

He finished quickly and I watched him drop the plate into the sink and wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. He was so different from my vampire family. No manners, but perfectly polite. I would miss him terribly. Suddenly without my knowledge, tears started to fall from my eyes.

"No, no, Ness! Why are you crying?" he asked desperately, over to my side in a flash.

"What will I do without you?" I mumbled through my tears. I looked at him through my lashes, seeing his expression change from concern to depression. His voice was tight as he answered.

"You'll never be without me Ness," he mumbled pushing my hair off my face gently.

"And you promise you'll come every night? I won't drink as much blood if I know I can have dinner with you every night," I said wiping my tears away roughly.

"I'll be there every night I promise," he whispered pulling me close into his warm, large body. I sighed in a bittersweet way as I heard him murmur, "And it still won't be enough."

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_**A/N: Review please :)**_

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	2. First Day

_**A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed for the great response! I'm really excited for this story and have a few pretty cool ideas ahead...hope you enjoy!**_

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Chapter Two: First Day

"I'm nervous…" I mumbled as Dad pulled into the parking lot of the school they'd picked out for me.

"Aw sweetheart, don't be. You're wonderful, more intelligent than any of your classmates and absolutely beautiful," my loving father said to me, ruffling my hair in his usual way.

"Jacob didn't come last night," I muttered looking at my hands in my lap. In my periphery I could see him pursing his lips.

"Yes I know. I'll have to have words with Jacob…"

"Oh Dad, please don't."

"It's frustrating not being close enough to hear him," he muttered, gripping the steering wheel tighter. This made me smile.

"Hey Dad, careful – you're making dents".

He instantly let go of the wheel and there were the indentations made by his slim fingers. I laughed and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"See you after Dad?" I said opening the door.

"Yes…hey Nessie…"

I paused. He barely ever called me Nessie, it was a name my mother hated and he'd never do anything she didn't like.

"What's wrong Dad?" I'd noticed he suddenly looked very troubled and sad.

"I never thought I'd have the chance to be a proud father sending his teenage daughter off to school…allow me to treasure this moment, won't you?" he said smiling crookedly.

"Aw Dad," I said embarrassed, reaching over to hug him. "You're worse than Mom. You better get home and make sure she's not still crying!" I said cheekily, grinning.

He laughed. "Alright, get out of here munchkin, I'll see you at four."

"Bye Dad," I said climbing out of the car.

"Ness!" he yelled out as I began to walk up the path. "No boys!"

That one made me laugh. What boy would ever like me? Impossible, not when even my male best friend showed complete platonic indifference.

Dad didn't leave until I got to the large stone steps leading to the entranceway of the school, probably to keep an eye on me and also hear the thoughts of my peers. There were kids sitting and talking, laughing together perfectly entwined in high school life and I immediately felt like more of an outsider than I had in my entire life. A couple of boys were smoking, leaning against a wall and staring at me. Self-consciously, I tucked a strand of my long curly hair behind my ear and ignored them. The people on the steps had fallen silent. Some of them looking at me, others staring at the sleek black Mercedes still parked in front. I felt embarrassed at the car, suddenly wishing I'd let him bring the Volvo. Nervously, I walked up the steps and if I hadn't inherited my parents' grace, I swear I would've tripped. I heard someone let out a low whistle as I walked inside seeking refuge. It seemed hardly fair, I'd escaped the prying eyes of the kids on the steps but now, almost everyone leaning on the lockers and chattering to each other, catching up on summer holidays had stopped their banter to stare at the new girl with freakishly curly bronze hair walking lightly through the hall. I gulped and adjusted the designer print backpack Alice had given me and walked on, hearing every footstep through the corridor. Silently, I tugged at the Quilete bracelet around my wrist, wishing for my best friend.

"Woah…" I heard one boy mutter and I felt like a freak. Bowing my head slightly, I walked straight down the hall into a tall boy.

"Oh…sorry," I muttered glancing up. He wasn't as tall as Jacob. Probably only about 6'2 and built a bit like Dad. He certainly wasn't as good looking as any of the men in my family, but he was the most gorgeous human I had ever seen. The most crucial thing about him was unfortunately, his scent. For the first time, I felt as though I might enjoy drinking the blood of this very live human. My eyes met his; a pleasant sea-blue and his hair was straight and dark, falling purposely into his eyes. My heart fluttered even faster than normal. No, I couldn't kill this human. He was too beautiful to die.

"Uh...are you new?" he asked in a deep, calm voice. I wondered briefly if he was a vampire too. He was far too superior a male to be normal. But no, there was the golden tan of the summer, bronzed across his muscular arms.

"Yes," I answered lamely.

"Well, the office is right there," he said pointing to my left. "You were about to walk into the men's locker room. I braced myself, waiting for the resounding laugh that was sure to come from all the onlookers, but it never did. The two boys standing behind him, just looked at me, mouths slightly open. I hoped they weren't trying to figure out what I was. I felt myself blushing of course and suddenly felt irritated. Why couldn't I be like my mother? I hated the redness that my cheeks often had. The boy looked a little dumbfounded, as if trying to understand why I was still there, so I just nodded with a small smile and turned a quick left straight into the open office door.

Breathing a little deeply, once I was inside with the door closed, I followed the chatter to where a young, pretty woman sat boredly behind the desk.

"Hello, I'm Rennesme Cullen, I'm new."

The blonde woman looked up and scowled a little before she dropped her nail file and reached into a drawer full of files.

"Here's your paperwork. You just need to sign there. Your father already faxed over your information. This is your schedule. Just ask anyone and they'll tell you where the rooms are. If you get lost, here's a map," she said in a very practiced way. I felt annoyed at her lack of enthusiasm but signed my name and took the papers she gave me. Holding on to just the map and the class schedule, I pushed the other things into my bag.

"Is that Louis Vuitton?" she asked, perking up.

"Yes," I answered before nodding. "Thank you."

I heard her scowl again but I rolled my eyes and walked out into the crowded hall just as the bell rang. The people scattered in different directions, all with a purpose, knowing exactly where they were going. Irritably I glanced at my schedule.

Algebra 2

Mr.Reimer

Room 102

That seemed easy enough to decipher. Double checking with the map, I confirmed that the Mathematics hallway was straight down to my right. Briskly, I walked to where a few people were lining up and stood at the end of one line and talked softly to a quiet girl with pigtails and glasses.

"Hello…is this Room 102, Mr.Reimer's Algebra class?" I asked her with a small smile.

She looked up from the novel she was reading and jumped in surprise. She looked appalled that I was talking to her. I felt a bit frightened as she gulped and gasped for air. Taking a moment, she inhaled deeply from the inhaler she pulled from her pocket and nodded at me.

"Thank you," I murmured, leaning against the wall. Was I really that big a freak that this poor girl needed an inhaler when I spoke to her? If only Dad was here, I might be able to find out what they were all thinking.

Mr.Reimer was a short ball man with black rimmed spectacles and a graying beard. He motioned for the noisy students to go in and paused when he saw me. His eyes grew wide and he licked his lips slightly before speaking.

"I assume you are our new student?"

"Yes Sir," I replied, following him inside.

"Class!" he practically shouted, instantly quieting the room. Their large, curious eyes of course went straight to me and you could hear a pin drop.

"This is…." He consulted his notes. "Ren—RenEs…uh?" he looked at me helplessly.

"Rennesme," I answered trying to keep the sigh from my voice. "But most people call me Nessie."

"Nessie…ah alright. Everyone, this is Nessie Cullen."

I waved pathetically while some nodded back. Feeling awkward, I shrugged at Mr.Reimer and headed to one of the seats in the middle. I felt a waft of air blow through the window and the scent floated through me once again. The deliciously gorgeous human was in this room. I sat and spied him staring from two seats to my left and behind. When our eyes met, he immediately snapped his head to the front and I sighed.

Algebra was dull. Although it was the advanced class, it was simple compared to the things Dad had me learning a few years ago. By the end of the class, I could see that some people looked disgruntled with me, others in slight awe but I knew I would definitely be one of Mr.Reimer's favorite students.

English was next and that was decidedly far more interesting. Although, I had of course read Romeo and Juliet countless times, I loved it and it was much more of a challenge than Algebra. Especially since the teacher seemed quite floored by my comments and tried to get more out of me by arguing her point of view and playing devil's advocate. Though I was vocal in both the classes I had already had, I was yet to have a genuine conversation with any of my classmates and the thought made me sad. I fiddled desperately with my Quilete bracelet, hoping, hoping that Jacob would come tonight. I needed him. I only had one friend. I was sure of that now. Half way through English, my teacher Mrs.Russell asked us to pair up with the person next to us and discuss the first scene. I smiled apprehensively at the bespectacled girl I'd talked to earlier and she smiled weakly back. Maybe I'd make one friend if I tried hard enough.

"So what do you think?" I asked her, turning to her and pushing my notes aside. Her eyes watched the motion and she bit her lip thinking. I hoped she wouldn't draw blood, she really was biting hard and that might be hard to resist. I'd never been around so many full humans in my life and although the scent was not overwhelming to me, the sight of blood would've surely put me over the edge. I made a mental note to ask Dad about his control around Mom when she'd still been human.

"Well it's an undeniable setup for tragedy isn't it?" the girl mumbled. Although human ears might not have heard, I understood perfectly. I smiled, glad she was finally talking and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was almost as if she was afraid to sound silly in front of me and I wanted to assure her this wasn't true.

"I think you're definitely right. Well at least for modern readers, going into a story as epic as this one…we immediately recognize things will go bad."

"So what you're saying is, we should try not to look at it with hindsight?" she said nervously with slight dejection.

"No, that's not what I meant at all," I hurried to console her. "I mean that could be one way of looking at it. We definitely need to consider the story in our context as well as that of a reader who had no idea at all what the story is".

"Absolutely correct Rennesme," Mrs.Russell said from behind me. "That is enthrallingly insightful." She grinned and made an announcement to the class, making my cheeks flush. Although I liked this woman: she was the only one so far to attempt my real name correctly, she was definitely isolating me and that made me worry about making friends. I sighed and covered my face as she walked away to some other pair and I heard my partner giggle. I glanced at her in confusion.

"What?" I asked indignantly.

She laughed again, covering her mouth. "Sorry, sorry! It's just Mrs.Russell and Mr.Reimer adore you but you don't seem to enjoy the attention."

I shrugged but smiled again. "You're right. I think it's rather the wrong attention I don't enjoy. I don't want to seem any different than other people."

She nodded. "Were you in an accelerated program before this?"

I shook my head. "Uh..no, I was homeschooled. My father is a genius," I said a little too proudly.

"Wow…that's different!" she exclaimed in awe.

"I'm Nessie by the way," I said sticking out my hand. I had learned not to show my thoughts always through my touch but I still had trouble if it was on their face. She shook my hand warmly and smiled.

"Karen," she supplied.

"I'm glad I met you Karen," I said happily before scribbling idly on my page.

She looked surprised though, as if it was strange I would speak to her.

"I was surprised you'd want to talk to me," she admitted.

I quirked one of my eyebrows at her. "What are you talking about? Why would you think that?"

She shrugged and looked embarrassed. "Girls like you don't talk to, well…dorks."

I opened my mouth in surprise. "What is a girl like me?" I asked quietly.

"Well isn't that obvious? You're beautiful…everyone's been staring since you first walked in!" she explained shyly.

Was that the reason for all the staring? Not because I was strange, but because they somehow thought I was beautiful? I wasn't beautiful…I was plain compared to Rosalie and only a shadow of my mother, Alice and Esme.

"You're not a dork and thanks…but I rather don't think that's it," I mumbled as the bell rang.

"Well want to eat lunch with me?" she asked hesitantly.

I grinned, suddenly pulled from my confused depression.

"I would love that!" I exclaimed, letting her lead the way. As I turned the corner, I caught the fleeting, desirable scent and the playful blue-green eyes staring once again.

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_**A/N: Review please :)**_


	3. The Diner

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome. Just so everyone is aware this is an OC/Nessie/Jacob triangle, so yes you might have to bear with an OC getting in the way, but wouldn't it be boring if it all came so easily? :) Enjo**_

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Chapter Three: The Diner

"How was school my love?" Mom asked as I walked in the door in front of Dad who I knew was wearing the same grim expression I was. He'd heard my thoughts and clearly known my day had been fairly traumatic for a young half vampire. Even the only friend I'd made, Karen was only in my morning classes and so, the rest of the day had been worse. I hated being stared at and that's all anyone ever did. Although I didn't want to show him, I'm sure Dad had seen some of the sadness I'd rather have kept them knowing about and now I knew I'd have to tell my mother too.

I sighed and touched her face, replaying the significant parts of my day and when I was done, she had a strange expression on her face.

The question was: why did they seem as upset as I did? Weren't parents meant to tell their kids not to worry? The people at school were stupid, mean. There was nothing wrong with me – I was perfect. So, why wasn't I hearing these things!?

"Rennesme, calm down and sit," Dad said calmly. Damn him for always knowing my thoughts – wish I were a shield like Mom.

"Watch your language young lady!" Dad said sharply as he sat beside Mom on the sofa.

Shit.

He looked livid now and I smiled sheepishly.

"Oops, sorry Dad." I sat down facing my parents. The house looked a lot like our old one but Esme had added a lot more color to the new house and had certainly made an effort to make it look more human. There was a bed in every room now and the fridge was stocked. I had realized that this was completely for my benefit. They wanted me to bring friends over – have a home life that seemed human. But I was not all human. And I would never have any friends.

"Stop that Rennesme," Dad snapped, but I just looked away through the wall length windows to my left, trying to clear my thoughts so he wouldn't hear me.

"Rennesme…" Mom began gently.

"Can we make a deal before we talk please?" I asked abruptly. "Can you transfer your shield to me for this conversation? That way Dad can hear your thoughts, not mine."

I could see them deliberating, wondering whether this would be more beneficial to them or me.

"Fine," Mom said clearly making a decision on behalf of her and Dad. She then closed her eyes in concentration and I could feel suddenly protected. My mind was private now.

Dad smiled, his eyes closed too.

"I love hearing your thoughts," he said quietly to Mom who smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Now, Rennesme, we want you to know we're not upset because we think you're a freak. Of course we don't think that darling," Dad began. "It's more that we're worried about how everyone seems to be looking at you."

"What, like a freak? Or do you think they suspect?" I asked anxiously.

They looked at each other before Mom spoke.

"No, we're worried because all the boys you seem to have encountered are dramatically…taken with you."

"What?!" I exclaimed in disgust. "Why does everyone keep saying that? No one likes me! I'm ridiculous!" I yelled, unwanted tears slipping down my cheeks as I stood. Great, I'd started high school and immediately began bawling every chance I got! Their faces instantly softened. They hated to see me cry.

"No, no, my love…" Mom whispered, rushing over and trying to comfort me as I shook.

"Ah…" Dad said suddenly after a few moments of quiet. He looked at the door. Mom seemed to understand immediately and upon the look my father sent her, took back her shield with a snap. I felt instantly more vulnerable as the door opened tentatively and there in the doorway stood my tall, burly wolf man.

"Jacob!" I yelled, tears falling faster as I rushed to him. I flew into his waiting arms and cried as he lifted me off the ground and rubbed my back soothingly.

"Jacob, Oh Jacob, I'm so glad you're here!" I sighed into his chest as his large hand went into my hair.

"Aw, honey what's wrong?" he muttered into my ear. I knew he was probably looking at my parents questioningly. He and Mom had been best friends a long time, they probably knew how to communicate without words as well as Jake and I sometimes could. This was confirmed when I heard my mother's voice.

"Let's go," she whispered to Dad. I listened intently as she tried to tug him away from the room. He was reluctant but eventually gave in, leaving Jacob and I alone.

"Want to go somewhere?" he asked.

I nodded, unable to speak and let him lead me out to his car. I suppose he'd driven here rather than ran. I wondered why, but couldn't ask because I was too involved in my own head. We drove in silence to a Diner, Jacob's arm cautiously around the back of my seat as he glanced my way every few minutes. It was raining now, the smell filling my nose wonderfully as we parked and walked inside. It was cosy and I recognized a lot of faces from school sitting at a booth in the middle of the room. To my dismay, the gorgeous one with the intoxicating scent was there, watching us with careful eyes. A few people had turned to look at us as they always did at school and especially when Jacob was around. But this time, I didn't care. He was here, my Jacob.

"So, show me what's on your mind…" he said as we sat at a table in the corner. I pondered this as he ordered to rare hamburgers and a coke for him. I didn't enjoy human drinks, everything paled in comparison to blood. Suddenly, I felt like if I told him the whole truth, by showing him my thoughts…it would only hurt him. Still feeling some human eyes on me, I decided it would be better to tell him about it instead. Otherwise, some things might worry him, or worse he might react in the same way as my parents had.

He held my hand as I explained my day, telling him my fears and worries and how I wished he'd been there the whole time. He listened carefully, never bothering to ask why I didn't use the quicker way of explanation. Jacob would do anything to make me happy, he wanted to fix things, I could tell.

"Aw Ness…" he began when I'd finished. "I wish I could leave the tribe…come here and go to school with you. It would make things so much easier." He sighed deeply and sipped his coke. Suddenly I felt worse, of course now I'd burdened Jacob with this. He always felt the need to protect me, I'm sure he couldn't bear seeing me this way.

"Jake, I'll have to learn about this eventually…all of you have always wanted a normal human beginning for me and it's starting. Everyone feels a little rejection. At least I made one friend."

"And you always have me, seriously just call and I'll run all the way over here for you."

"I know you will Jake, but eventually I'm going to have to learn how to do this myself. Tomorrow will be better," I said trying to be optimistic.

He looked skeptical but took a deep breath and nodded. His fingers entwined with mine and his sad brown eyes met mine. Suddenly an impish grin slid on his face.

"So, this Karen girl…she's not a better friend than me is she?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "As if, Jake!"

We were laughing too hard to notice that the group of kids from school were leaving the diner. One boy hung back, his friends waiting in the doorway.

"Uh, hey…" he said, looking nervously at Jake first and then me.

I didn't even need to look up to know who it was, his scent was too familiar. I did anyway and smiled at him curiously. I felt Jake's fingers tighten ever so slightly around mine but he said nothing.

"We, uh met this morning but I didn't introduce myself," he said looking straight into my eyes. I smiled genuinely, trying to put him at ease but he suddenly looked even more uncomfortable.

"Well neither did I. I'm Nessie," I said shaking my hand loose from Jake's grasp and holding it out to the boy. He suddenly looked a little relieved and shook it.

"I'm Andy," he said finally smiling showing me a cheeky, warm smile. I felt my heart flutter a little.

"Oh, this is my friend from home, Jacob," I said introducing the boys.

Andy looked at Jake apprehensively and stuck out his hand again.

"Nice to meet you man," he said but Jacob just nodded at him. He awkwardly put his hand down and glanced at his waiting friends.

"Um, well anyway it was nice meeting you Nessie. See you around tomorrow?" he said, looking pleasantly hopeful.

"Sure!" I confirmed happily and he smiled again, nodding at me before he went over to his friends who looked surprised.

"Jake! You see? People are friendly…it's just weird being new I suppose," I said grinning now. He looked back at me with a horribly grim expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked with a frown.

"That guy wants you!" he blurted out.

"Oh no, not you too!" I said with a sigh, slapping my hand to my forehead.

"What do you mean?" he asked, pulling my hand from my face and asking me a silent question. Sighing, I touched his face and played back my memory of the conversation with my parents.

He sighed deeply and pushed my hand away.

"Of course. I better get you home," he said, standing and dumping some dollars on the table. When he started to count change to make up the last few dollars, I tried to stop him.

"Jake, just let me pay for my half," I protested, pulling out a bill.

"No," he said so firmly, it frightened me a little.

After counting out forty five pennies he finally gave up and without looking at me said, "I'm going to need like three more dollars."

Silently, I added to the pile and then followed him out of the restaurant. We drove back in silence until he sighed and spoke angrily.

"I hate that!" he said as we stopped at a light.

"What, Jake?" I asked playing dumb.

"I hate that you always have to cover me. I need another job," he said more to himself than me.

"Jake, you don't have to pay for me. You had more than enough for yourself," I tried to say.

"I want to! I want to be able to pay for you. I hate this," he repeated and stepped hard on the gas. We got home in only a few more minutes and he followed me in.

"What do you want to do?" I asked him as we entered the living room.

"Don't you have school tomorrow?" he asked shortly.

"Well yeah, but its only eleven thirty," I said, glancing at my parents who didn't look away from the television.

"You need to sleep. I'm gonna hang with Bella and Edward for a while," he said sitting down.

Although I knew this happened sometimes, after all my Mom was still Jacob's best friend, I was irritated. I wanted him to spend more time with me. I wasn't sure when I'd see him again.

"Well are you coming tomorrow? You didn't come last night…" I said.

"I don't know Ness," he said staring at the TV.

"So much for coming every night…" I whispered even though I knew everyone could hear me. "Well maybe you should go…you have school tomorrow too!" I said, hands on hips.

"I'm a Senior. It's crucial to skip," he said turning with a small smile.

Exasperated, I gave up. "Fine. Goodnight," I said curtly before saying the same to my parents and kissing their cheeks. I left without another word and went upstairs to listen carefully. Trouble was, I knew they were waiting until I was asleep too. I caught the beginning of the conversation right as I drifted off.

"I think she'll be out in a second," Dad said.

"Now, what do you guys think about her first day?" Jacob asked, just as I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

_**A/N: What do you think? Is Andy any competition?**_


	4. Different, perfect

_**A/N: Thank you for the overwhelming response to my last chapter! It kicked me straight back into gear and I am excited to get writing again, the next chapter has a premise and I've just started writing it, so be excited! :) Enjoy this chapter, its especially long, just for you!  
**_

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Chapter Four: Different, perfect

When I awoke for school, Jacob was still there. He was lying asleep on the couch with a pillow propped behind his head. The blaring sound of the television didn't seem to bother him but Rosalie was watching him with disgust.

"Filthy Dog stinking up our living room," I heard her mutter.

"Aw can it Rose, Nessie's in the other room," Emmett replied.

"Actually I'm right here. Jacob slept over?" I asked curiously. Jake never slept over, he always left when I went to bed to go back to his pack and make sure all was ok in La Push. I suppose since there were so few vampires left in the Forks, he had more time on his hands. That made me wonder what he'd been up to on the day he hadn't come to see me.

"Yes love, it was too late to go home by the time he was ready to," Dad said coming out of the kitchen holding Mom's hand.

"What were you guys talking about?" I asked eyeing them suspiciously.

"Oh nothing Rennesme, only your school and then other stuff," Mom answered stroking my straightened hair. "Did Alice do this?" she asked.

Ignoring her question, I continued to probe. "What other stuff?" I asked.

"Grown up stuff. Now are you ready to go?" Dad said with finality.

"Have you eaten dear?" Esme said coming out with a plate of eggs. She'd gotten better at cooking now and her eggs were actually better than Dad's.

"Thank you Grandma," I said with a smile taking the plate and sitting down on the arm of the sofa Jacob slept on.

Jasper and Alice came in next, looking awkwardly happy. I wondered why, especially when I saw Dad grin at Jasper and chuckle to himself.

"Nessie, did you wet your hair!?" Alice asked in alarm looking at how it had started to curl at the bottom.

"No Alice, I've just been playing with it," I answered as she fussed over me.

"You have to look wonderful today," she said using her strength to pull the ends of my hair straight.

"Why's that?" Mom asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Someone at school has made a decision involving Nessie," Alice said with a smug decision.

Rolling my eyes, I scoffed on my eggs. "Alice, don't be silly."

She just looked at me knowingly and laughed at Dad as he glared at her.

"Stop lying with your thoughts!!" he growled.

"I'll take Nessie to school today," she said with a grin. My stomach flipped over. I was nervous to hear what she had to say to me.

"Alice!" Mom warned, glaring at my Aunt as Jasper slid near me.

"Easy Ness, you nervous again?" Jasper said with a grin as he touched my shoulder. The nerves immediately went away and I smiled gratefully at him.

"Oh stop Bella, she's a big girl now. Ready to go munchkin?" Alice asked me.

After a quick round of goodbyes to my family, excluding Grandpa Carlisle who was already at the hospital, I stopped my Jake. Ignoring the others, I stroked his soft shaggy black hair and kissed the top of his head before following Alice to the car.

"Be good!" Dad called and something in his tone told me he wasn't speaking just to me.

"So why were you being so secretive with everyone?" I asked as we drove away.

She waited to answer until we were at a save distance.

"Well, there's a boy who you've talked to already from school…."

"Andy?" I blurted out without thinking before I blushed.

She smiled again. "I guess that's the one. The blue eyes and black hair?"

"That's him," I replied grimly.

"Well you seem to have struck quite a chord with him Ness, looks like he wants to hang out with you," Alice explained eagerly.

I smiled, taking this in. "He wants to be my friend?" I asked excitedly. Another friend. This would be good.

"In a way…" she said cryptically as we pulled up in front of the school and I got out to come around to outside her window. "Knock them dead pretty girl!"

"Do you really want me to?" I teased and she laughed musically at me before her eyes darted to someone else.

"Sweet ride," someone said and I whirled around.

It was Andy and he was with his two friends, one of whom had spoken to Alice.

"Thank you," Alice replied with a wide smile. They all looked momentarily shell shocked before one of them, the stocky one with brown hair said something.

"Do you go here too?" he asked, his voice stuttering slightly. I wanted to laugh, they were clearly quite in awe of Alice's beauty. She smiled her loveliest smile and shook her head.

"Oh no, I'm Nessie's big sister, I'm a freshman at Seattle U," Alice said. This was our story. All of us adopted children of Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme, but the others were at college. I'm sure Dad and Mom would've liked to look more like my parents, but that was obviously not going to work.

"Oh…"

"Well Ness, I gotta go get Jasper, have fun with your friends," Alice said winking at me.

"Is Jasper your boyfriend?" the stocky brunette asked.

"One and only," Alice replied sweetly before waggling her fingers at them. "Bye boys!"

"Wow," I heard Andy's friends say as she drove away speedily. I fiddled with the strap on my book bag looking at my feet.

"Glad we caught you Nessie, want us to walk you to class?" Andy said pleasantly. I looked up and smiled happily.

"That would be lovely, thanks," I said smiling at them all again. They seemed to pause once more and didn't move until I hesitantly walked forward.

"This is Rob and Max," he said pointing at the boys. The stocky one was Max and had a friendly, happy face while Rob was taller and lankier than the others. They were all fairly good looking, as humans went and I supposed they must've been quite popular. I was starting to understand the dynamics of High School a little better and was glad they'd decided to talk to me. Maybe everyone wouldn't think I was a freak now.

"So Nessie, where are you and your sister from?" Max asked, his mind still on Alice.

"We came from the Forks," I supplied.

"She doesn't look like your sister," Rob put in.

"Well its complicated. My Dad and Mom adopted us all at different times."

"All?" Andy asked.

"Well there's a lot of us," I carried on thinking this was getting much harder to explain. I pulled out a photo of us all that Jacob had took a year ago. It was alright to show them, I still looked the same. I heard the boys let out a low whistle as we sat down on one of the benches on the lawn waiting for the bell.

"Here's my adoptive parents," I said, carefully pointing at Carlisle and Esme. "And here are Rosalie and Jasper – they're twins. And then here's Emmett, Alice and Bella – they're all related. And here's my brother Edward." It felt very strange to spit out this lie so smoothly, but I'd practiced it.

"Wow…" Rob said.

"Wow is right, any of your sisters single?" Max said staring at the picture.

I laughed. "Actually, it's a little strange but, we all came to our parents in stages. Emmett, Alice and Bella were first and then Rosalie came and she and Emmett started dating and Jasper and Alice got together. Then when my brother and I came, Bella and he fell in love."

"Woah…" Max said out loud and by the looks on the others' faces, they seemed to agree whole-heartedly.

The bell rang breaking me from my discomfort and the others from their trance.

"We've got Bio, see you later Andy, Nessie," Rob said hurrying away with Max following behind.

"What do you have first?" Andy asked me as I silently put my family photo away. I consulted my schedule.

"History with Miss Woodbridge," I said and he nodded with a half smile.

"That's cool, so do I." He got up and swung his back pack onto his shoulders. "Let's go."

We walked quietly to the building and there seemed to be some strange sort of tension I didn't understand. I was concentrating more on ignoring the deliciousness of his scent.

"You're a really interesting girl Nessie," Andy said as we climbed the steps.

I was surprised. "Really? How so?"

He laughed. "Well isn't it obvious? Some beautiful mysterious stranger interrupts our quiet life here and the whole school goes insane of course."

"Yeah it happens when the freak show comes to town," I whispered and he laughed again, this time harder.

"The strangest part is you've got this ridiculously, interesting life, you seem fun to talk to and that makes it all so easy. Even when you're this intimidating."

My mouth opened in surprise. "I'm intimidating?"

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that before?" he asked in equal confusion.

"No one has really told me much of anything. I was home schooled until now."

He gave a small gasp of acknowledgment. "Ah…maybe that explains it."

"Explains what?" I asked as he stopped in front of our classroom.

He grinned with impossible attractiveness. "How you don't have any clue how perfect you are…"

That one made me blush and I said nothing as he smirked and walked inside the room. The final bell went and I entered in somewhat of a daze. I mechanically went through the usual introduction part of the new class and then sat in the empty seat next to Andy. If I wasn't mistaken, this meant he must like me somehow and with some of the jealous glares I was being thrown, I realized that this was probably the best moment of my life.

We didn't have the next class together, although he walked me to it. Chemistry. I found an open seat near Karen who for some reason never caught my eye although I tried throughout class. I was sitting next to a skinny guy wearing tight jeans and a flannel shirt. His hair was drooped over on of his eyes and he had an expression of haughtiness. Jerry, he said his name was when we started class. He was friendly but very opinionated. He seemed to like me, so I happily talked to him, exchanging opinions over the entire period as we measured and poured and observed. Unknowingly, I'd made another friend.

"So, I noticed Andy Shields was walking you around school this morning," he said as we packed our stuff away preparing for lunch.

"Oh is that his last name?" I asked pretending not to care.

"Yes…he's the striker for the school's soccer team," Jerry explained.

"Oh that's cool. I like sports," I said with a smile.

Jerry rolled his eyes. "Honestly Nessie? Here I was thinking you were cool," he teased.

"What's wrong with sports!?"

"Nothing, if you're, you know a jock….but I thought you seemed like someone who was more interested in music or art," Jerry said pointedly, clearly meaning he thought I was more like him.

"Well can't I be interested in both?" I asked, biting my lip.

He laughed a little coldly. "Not at this school. Pick a clique, stick to it."

"That's boring!" I argued making him grin.

"You're something else," he said, catching hold of a few strands of my hair. This made me feel a little awkward. Jerry was nice, but I wasn't attracted to him the way I was to certain other boys. I smiled and shook my hair making him laugh again.

"Alright well if you decide to pick a clique, I hope you pick mine. Come eat lunch with us if you want ok?" he said before stalking out of the room in a sort of depressed, stylish way.

Cliques. They seemed really silly to me. I didn't want to limit myself at all. Seeing I was one of the few people left in the room, I walked over to Karen who was still writing in her notebook.

"Karen?" I asked tentatively.

She turned with sad eyes. "What?"

"You seem a little mad at me," I said, feeling worried.

"No, I just thought I'd cut myself loose before you did," she said quietly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused again.

"Andy Shields? Jerry Connor? Why would you hang out with me over them?"

I furrowed my brow, feeling hurt. "Because I like you? You're the only one who talked to me yesterday."

"But they're so much cooler than me," she whispered.

"Says who?" I asked indignantly.

"Everyone…" she muttered.

"Well then everyone's crazy. Let's get lunch," I said pulling her arm playfully. She smiled widely, showing her braces, but her pretty blue eyes glowed behind her spectacles.

"You're awesome Nessie," she said hugging her books to her chest and walking quickly behind me.

"Oh, I know it's a gift," I joked, thinking about lunch. I hoped it would be some good meat. I was starting to get used to human food, but I wanted to go hunting with my parents next time. I was still part vampire after all.

Not really looking where I was going, I bumped into someone's broad chest.

"Oh," I said, looking up seeing Andy grinning down at me.

"Hey Nessie, eat lunch with me?" he said charmingly.

I froze looking into his calming sea-blue eyes before I smiled. "Well I'm eating with Karen, want to join us?"

He looked over at Karen who was looking at the floor. He seemed hesitant. "Oh, well I thought you'd want to eat at my table…"

"Oh are we assigned places?" I asked in surprise.

He looked at me awkwardly and then back at Karen. "Well no, but we have a good spot."

"Oh ok, Karen do you want to?" I asked turning to her.

Her eyes looked wide and worried as she looked past me to Andy. I glanced back at him and saw he looked just as awkward.

"Uh…don't you know each other?" I asked.

"Well…yeah we've been in school together since Third grade," Andy answered.

"Wouldn't have thought you noticed," Karen added under her breath.

Andy looked uncomfortable again. "We live next door to each other Johnson…"

She nodded and went back to studying her feet.

"Maybe we could sit with Jerry Connor instead…" I suggested to them both. Karen's eyes looked even more scared while Andy laughed loudly.

"Jerry Connor? Yeah right," he said scornfully. That one set me off - I didn't get why this was difficult! It was just lunch.

"I don't understand these stupid cliques!" I said in frustration before storming away. Not wanting to go to the cafeteria, I went through the main doors and sat down on one of the benches on the lawn. I put my head in my hands feeling entirely frustrated. I fiddled with my bracelet. It would be so much easier if Jake went to school with me. We could laugh at the cliques together and never need anyone but each other. It irritated me thoroughly that everyone I liked didn't seem to get along at all. For what reason though? They looked different? Well I looked different from everyone in this school. Did that mean I was in a clique of my own?

"Nessie," a deep, calm voice said from beside me. Apparently Andy had slipped through the cracks of even my super human hearing and was now sitting quietly beside me.

"What?" I asked, not able to stay polite.

"I'm sorry. It's just Karen and I don't really hang out and neither of us hang out with Jerry. It's just the way things are you know?" He had an expression of apologetic worry on his handsome face.

"Things are stupid," I mumbled.

"You're probably right, but it's the only thing we know."

"I'm not sure I can be a part of that Andy," I said looking into his pretty eyes.

He paused, just staring back until finally he said something. "Well you don't need to be. Just be friends with us all and to hell with our preconceptions."

"Do you really think that's possible?" I asked playing with my hair.

"For me? Probably not. But you? I'm pretty sure you can do anything," he said earnestly.

I laughed. "You have a skewed reality of what I really am," I said sadly.

He laughed too. "Or maybe you do. Nessie Cullen, I'm telling you, you're perfect."

"Stop saying that, it's not true," I said laughing and playfully shoving his shoulder. He was surprised by my strength and teetered a little bit where he sat. He didn't make a comment though, he just smiled at me with his infallible grin.

"If you say so," he said tucking my hair behind my ear. This felt much more natural than when Jerry had done it. It was almost like Jacob was pushing my hair off my face except Andy wasn't Jacob. He hadn't seen me grow up. He was new and wonderful and perfect…for me.

"So, even though you'll be hanging out with Karen and maybe even Jerry and not to mention all the friends you'll make by the end of the week…would it be silly of me to ask you this?" he asked his voice wavering slightly.

"Well that all depends on what you're going to ask me," I said smiling reassuringly. I would probably do anything for this guy right now.

"Can I ask you to go to the movies with me on Friday?" he asked, his blue eyes hopeful and unbearably adorable.

"Yes, you can ask me that," I said with a giggle, playing along.

He grinned and nodded. "Alright Ness, movie Friday night?" he said with a smirk.

I liked the way he shortened my name to Ness. Jacob was really the only one to do that. He'd of course come up with Nessie in the first place, but he wanted the nickname to be special, just for him. But I felt like Jake could share this one with Andy. He was worthy of it.

"Sure," I agreed, smiling at his mock relief and eyeing the ham sandwich he'd brought me. Not my favorite, but it would do.

Unlike yesterday, I was absolutely thrilled to tell everyone about my day when I got home that night.

* * *

_**A/N: How will Jake react to this?**_


	5. What's it Like?

_**A/N: I'm so sorry for the gigantic wait! But I have a nice chapter for you and I'm already mostly done with the next one, so if you review enough...it'll be up in a couple of days :) haha Thanks again for your wonderful responses! Enjoy!**_

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Chapter Four: What's it Like?

I was lying on my bed on Thursday night thinking. I hummed along with the songs playing on my mp3 player and wiggled my feet in time with the music happily. Everything was going very well at school since the first day mishap. I had stayed true to Andy's words. I continued to make a bunch of different friends in different groups but never found myself assigned to one clique. I was happy to sit with different groups during lunch, before school, after school, it was great and I knew it was only the beginning. The best part of course was Andy. He walked me to every class, constantly said sweet things and was really becoming the person I could turn to. Sure, it had been less than a week and things were bound to change with time but I couldn't think of a better start.

Actually that wasn't true. There was something, which irritated me. It was on Tuesday when I returned from school and told my family all about my new friends and how Andy and I were going to a movie together on Friday night. I had expected for my parents to react irritably. They thought I was too young to date. The problem wasn't just that they seemed more worried than angry. I just didn't understand that one. The problem was the way Jacob reacted. He had still been around when I got back from school and had listened as excitedly as the rest of my interested family but when I was finished and waiting for reactions, there was only his. Only his reaction and everyone else's reaction to that.

"_You said yes?" Jacob said as his face crumpled._

"_Yeah, I know he's a human and everything, but so am I…half at least and I really like him Jake. Isn't that great!?" I said excitedly._

"_Yeah, its great," he answered, sounding as if he didn't mean it at all but needed to give me what I wanted to hear._

"_What's wrong?" I asked, concerned._

"_Rennesme, maybe we ought to save this conversation for another time…you wanted to go hunting didn't you?" Dad put in quickly, glancing at Jacob who was staring expressionless at the coffee table._

"_Dad, Jacob's upset, I don't like that," I said trying to wave him off._

"_Rennesme, let's not embarrass Jacob by making him explain in front of everyone," Mom put in hurriedly._

"_Embarrassed? Why would he be embarrassed?" I asked in confusion._

"_It's nothing Ness. Listen I have to get back to La Push. Thanks for letting me stay Bells," he said standing up. I could see Dad watching him carefully._

"_Jacob…" he began._

"_Can you please stay out of my thoughts right now Edward," he asked in a polite voice, I'd never heard from him. It sounded like a serious plea._

"_Will you be back tomorrow?" I asked jumping up to hug him._

"_I don't know," he whispered hugging me back. "Enjoy yourself at school ok Ness? I really do want you to be happy."_

_I stared at him in confusion as he flashed a ghost of his regular grin at me and walked towards the door without another word except, "Later Doc," to Grandpa._

I couldn't understand why he was so upset. I wondered if something had happened in La Push or if he wasn't feeling well, but most of all I wondered why he hadn't even called since Tuesday afternoon. It had been two days! Two days without my Jacob! How on earth could I truly enjoy Andy and his attention when my best friend wasn't around to give him the stamp of approval. I sighed huffily as I heard a knock at my door.

"Still awake Rennesme?" Mom said poking her head around the door.

"Yes Mom," I said beckoning her in. She settled on the edge of my bed and started to play with her hair. She looked a little nervous.

"What's wrong Mom?" I asked.

"About this boy," she began.

"Mom, Andy is perfectly nice. He's picking me up from here anyway, so you'll meet him."

"I know dear, I believe you. I just want you to think about other people who might be affected by this."

"Who else? You're all so good at acting human, I don't think anyone's worried except you," I said hugging her playfully.

She smiled and stroked my hair. "I was thinking more along the lines of Jacob."

"What about him? Have you heard what's going on? Is everything ok in La Push?" I asked in a hurry.

She smiled. "Everything's fine in La Push Rennesme, Jacob is actually going to be graduating pretty soon, he's well ahead of his class and the Reservation just wants him to be out of school already."

"That's great! I wish he'd told me himself," I muttered.

"Oh sweetheart, he wanted to. He's just been busy," she replied soothingly, but I could tell she was lying.

"Mom," I said showing her what she'd just said and sounded like. It made her laugh.

"I guess I'm not a convincing liar. Your father always said I was a bad actress," she said.

I grinned at her. "What was it like when you were human and Daddy was a vampire?"

She paused, as if trying to remember. "My human memories are weak, but the ones that always stand out are the ones of Edward. He was everything I wanted and needed and that was the bottom line."

"You think I can feel like that about Andy?" I asked quietly.

She looked thoughtful and a little sad. "That question is probably one for your father. The roles are a little reversed this time."

"That's going to be embarrassing…" I said rolling my eyes. She laughed.

"I'll tell him to go easy on you," she said kissing my forehead. "Goodnight my love. You have a long day tomorrow."

"Will you help me pick out an outfit?" I asked as I snuggled under the thin sheet I used to cover myself.

"Alice is probably the best person to ask about that. You know she dresses all of us," she said rolling her eyes and speaking of my fashionista aunt with affection.

"Good idea Momma," I said kissing her cheek again. She smiled and touched my cheek before she went to the door. There in the doorway stood my father looking at us both with a slight smile. She kissed him and then whispered something under her breath. He nodded slowly and looked at me with slight apprehension as she left the room wordlessly.

"All ready to sleep Nessie?" he asked. I nodded but beckoned him forward. He sat on the edge of my bed again fiddling with the sheet looking anywhere but my face.

"Dad, what's it like being with a human?"

He looked pained as he thought it over, obviously feeling uncomfortable that I would ask him such a question. I kept my mind blank, so that he would have to mull it over without my thoughts getting in the way.

"Well…" he began after several moments of silence. "If I'm being completely honest, it was probably the most difficult thing I've had to do in my hundred and fourteen years of existence."

I gasped slightly, waiting for him to go on.

"With the exception of delivering you safely, turning your mother into a vampire and Jacob…uh..nevermind."

"Jacob what, Daddy?" I asked, confused about his appearance in this conversation.

He laughed softly. "Well…Jacob in general."

I wrinkled my brow. "How do you mean?"

"Well there was a time where I thought I might lose your mother to Jacob. He was in love with her too…of course now we know there are different reasons for that…"

"Wait, did Jacob imprint on Momma?" I asked, suddenly feeling my stomach wrench. I knew about the wolves imprinting. I'd met Emily and some of the pack's loves.

"No, no…not exactly…" Dad said, stumbling over his words. It was strange. Dad was always smooth when he talked, but suddenly he looked very troubled.

"There's something you're not telling me isn't there?" I said, narrowing my eyes.

He sighed deeply. "Yes. But it's not my decision to tell you."

"Whose is it?" I asked.

"Jacob's. Now not another word on the matter," he said with finality.

"Alright…." I said, fiddling with the edge of the sheet covering me. Dad was staring at the photo on my nightstand. The same one of our family as I had in my wallet, except instead of Grandpa Carlisle, Jacob stood next to me, his hand grasping mine.

"Was it difficult to kiss a human?" I asked softly, a blush rushing to my cheeks. He snapped his head towards me sharply.

"Now young lady, I have tried very hard to be alright with the fact that you have decided to date, but if I hear one more word about…these…these physical relations you will be having…"

I giggled. I couldn't help it.

He looked livid, but seeing my face suppressing a laugh, he couldn't help but laugh too.

"Look, Rennesme I'm going to answer your question, but I am going to forget that you will ever find the information useful."

"Works for me," I said grinning.

"Kissing a human, for a vampire is probably the closest thing to drinking their blood without actually killing them. I also felt the same human desires as any regular man would feel and the combination makes you sick. Sick in the worst but most wonderful way possible. There's no real way to explain it…"

"You did a pretty good job," I said quietly.

"Now, it won't be nearly as difficult for you, because of your half human side, but it will be difficult nonetheless…so, just don't do it." He glared at me, trying to intimidate me, but I just giggled again and hugged him.

"I love you Daddy, you're the best," I said squeezing him tightly.

He muttered to himself as he stroked my hair. "Insolent, rebellious, stereotypical teenage…"

"Night Dad," I said rolling my eyes and lying back.

He nodded and continued to mutter to himself as he left my room and turned out the light.

* * *

"Alice!! Where's my red top?" I asked running downstairs. I had half an hour before Andy arrived and I was still getting dressed.

"Alice is upstairs darling, I think she's picking out your clothes now," Grandma Esme said, looking up from some blueprints.

"Nessie, calm down really, I've never seen you this nervous," Grandpa Carlisle said from next to her. "You really ought to eat something."

"I went hunting right after school with Mom and Dad," I said sitting down next to him.

"I meant human food sweetheart," he said smiling.

"I'll have to eat enough of that on the date!" I said pulling a face. "Popcorn, eugh."

He laughed. "We could always pack you up a steak to pick at." Esme laughed and pinched my cheek.

"Maybe some O negative?" I joked and ran away as Esme reached over to playfully smack my wrist.

"Ness, will you calm down!? You're making me jittery!" Jasper said, taking a deep breath and sending a warm, calmness around the room.

"You're dulling my senses Jasper," I said coming over to him. "Did Alice tell you if Jacob is coming? She keeps lying and saying she can't see him."

"Well she has trouble seeing half breeds," Jasper said fairly.

"Oh come on she's had ten years to get used to it!" I said huffily making him laugh.

"Nessie, shouldn't you be getting pretty for your human?" Emmett said looking up from the game.

"Rose and Alice are deciding what I should wear," I replied biting my nail.

"Oh come on munchkin, you know they've decided already," he replied with a booming laugh.

"What are Mom and Dad doing?" I asked my uncles.

They looked at each other for a moment before they both blurted out different answers.

"They're deciding what to ask your boyfriend," Emmett said.

"They're calling Jacob," Jasper said.

I raised an eyebrow. Both answers I didn't want to hear.

"Nessie Cullen, you get your cute little half breed butt up here!" Alice yelled.

I sighed. The nervousness was only getting worse.

"Nessie, get out of here, you're making me shake!" Jasper said trying to push calmness over me. "God, you're worse than Bella was…" he muttered as I ran up the stairs.

"Did Mom help?" I asked as Rose did my hair and Alice adjusted the sundress I was wearing.

"She had a look at our choices," Rose answered. "But she's too busy calling your dog right now though."

"Rose!" Alice snapped.

"What? Nessie ought to know, he's a jerk! He's not even coming to meet your new friend," she blurted out smugly.

My face fell as Alice shoved Rosalie. "Shut up!" she growled and then turned to me.

"Don't listen Nessie, we don't know that yet."

"Shouldn't you know?" I asked dully, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

"He hasn't made a decision yet."

"Well, I guess that's a decision itself. Andy will be here in ten minutes and I doubt Jacob could make it before then." I turned and headed out of the room. "Thank you for helping me dress," I muttered sadly and went downstairs to wait.

Mom and Dad were on the sofa whispering with Jasper and Emmett as I came down, Alice and Rosalie on my heel. Grandma saw my face and I could see her own expression drooping seeing me this way. Grandpa looked grim as he put an arm around her and they both sat down in the living room too.

"He's here…" Dad said grimly.

"Jacob!?" I asked in excitement and started towards the door as my father stood at the same time.

* * *

_**A/N: Bad cliffhanger, but cliffhanger nonetheless...the next section of story needs its own chapter :) Review please!**_


	6. The Date

_**A/N: Thank you for your praise and encouraging reviews, enjoy this next chapter :)**_

* * *

Chapter Six: The Date

Before I could get to the door, Dad was already there and I was frozen in my place. A million thoughts were running through my head. Jake was here! How long would it be until Andy got here? What was Andy wearing? How would he react to my family? Would they play their assigned roles well? How would Andy react to Jacob?

"Hello Andy, welcome to our home," Dad said gesturing in to the house and opening the door wide. It took a moment and then I saw him and immediately all my previous thoughts were cleared from my mind. Andy was dressed nicely. He had on a black button up shirt over jeans and his hair was tousled messily over his eyes. He looked at me awkwardly and blinked his bright blue eyes a few times before offering his hand to shake my father's death tight grip.

"Hey man, how's it going?" he said sheepishly. Dad pursed his lips but nodded.

"Not so bad, I'm Edward by the way, Nessie's big brother."

"Right…uh, hey," Andy said standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Come in," Dad said briskly.

He did, walking in and looking at my staring family with a small, nervous smile. He looked so cute, I just wanted to hug him.

I saw Dad snap his head my way and glare, but he invited Andy into the room where we all stood.

"Hey Ness," he said quietly, looking through his shaggy hair at me. I smiled widely, feeling my worries vanish and all attention face Andy.

"Hi," I said, walking forward and smiling shyly. I felt Alice brush by me, whispering quickly in my ear so only me and all the vampires in the room could hear.

"Nice choice Nessie. Well dressed, wonderful scent," she teased as she joined Jasper.

"Uh…hi everyone," Andy said politely, waving at my family.

"Oh, let me introduce you," I said, gesturing to Carlisle and Esme who were beaming at us.

"These are my gr- uh, my parents, Carlisle and Esme," I said as he shook their hands.

"It's really nice to meet you both," he said, looking a little staggered. I could imagine this was strange for him. A room full of atrociously good looking people who didn't look like a family, but were somehow all related.

"It's lovely to meet you Andy, we've heard all about you," Carlisle said patting his shoulder warmly.

"Are you thirsty? May I get you anything?" Esme asked kindly.

"Oh, no thanks…I thought I'd take Nessie to get some food after the movie," he explained, his eyes darting to me.

"Lovely," Esme said glancing over at my parents who stood stiffly near by.

"You've met my brother," I said trying to skim over Dad and direct him to Mom instead. "This is Bella," I said as they shook hands. I saw Andy glance back at me and I was worried he could see the resemblance too clearly.

"Andy, Nessie's really been looking forward to tonight. I'm so glad you came to pick her up," Mom said with a grin and a look at Dad. I knew she was enjoying how immensely irritated he was by this. If only I could be amused too.

Andy grinned, "I've been looking forward to it probably ten times more," he said with a small chuckle.

"I'll bet," Dad said, narrowing his eyes.

"Andy, this is Rosalie and Emmett and Jasper and -" Mom said stepping in quickly and directing him to the rest of the family who were sitting on the couch.

"Alice, yeah we met the other day," Andy said with a wave.

"Hi again," Alice said with a small wink.

They were having far too much fun with this.

"So do you all go to UW?_**A/N: a seattle reader told me Seattle U doesn't exist…haha thanks!**_" he asked shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, Bella, Alice and Edward are freshman and we're Juniors," Rosalie said with a radiant smile, pointing to Emmett and Jasper.

"Cool…do you play ball Emmett?" Andy asked pointing to the game, which was on TV.

Emmett laughed loudly and Andy looked a little worried. "Nah, I find college games boring…I just like to watch it."

"Yeah? I play soccer myself," Andy said feeling more at ease as he crept over to talk to Jasper and Emmett.

"Why don't you sit Andy," Dad cutting in and pointing to the sofa next to the TV, facing the others.

Andy looked nervous and glanced at me but nodded and sat down obediently while Dad sat facing him, Mom at his side. I took a seat beside Andy despite my father's glaring.

"So, where are you taking my sister?" Dad asked in a harsh tone.

Andy gulped. "Um, we're going to see that new Reese Witherspoon movie and then I was thinking about this local diner me and my friends always go to."

"Will you be driving?" Mom asked kindly.

"Yeah, I have my Dad's truck outside."

"Oh, what kind?" Mom asked happily. I vaguely remembered that she used to own an ancient Chevy.

"Landrover.." he supplied and Mom's face fell.

"The new one?" Dad asked suddenly.

"Yeah…its got this amazing engine…" Andy began to talk about his car and I could see Dad beginning to warm to him.

"Well Andy, will you be drinking tonight?" he snapped suddenly, as if remembering he was supposed to hate this boy.

Andy looked appalled. "Uh…no Ed, I'm driving and I'm not twenty one…"

"Don't call me Ed," Dad said stiffly.

"We should go…let's go," I pleaded glancing at Andy who was staring at my father's angry expression.

"Um…sure…let's go," he said taking my hand and standing. "The movie's at six thirty, we don't want to miss the previews."

"No, they're the best part," I lied trying to yank him to the door.

"Nice meeting you all!" he called and everyone waved. He turned to Carlisle and said, "Don't worry Sir, I'll have her home early."

Before Grandpa could open his mouth to reply, Dad had stepped in front of him and said,

"Ten o'clock. You will have her home no later than that."

Andy gulped and squeezed my hand. "Yes."

"Bye Edward!" I yelled, yanking Andy with necessary force to the door.

"Take the side-road on the way home, there's going to be a roadblock!" Alice called and Andy froze.

"Uh…what?" he said staring at her. Immediately I began to panic but Alice recovered smoothly.

"I'm a little psychic…" she said with a tinkling laugh. "And also, there's news about some grand theft auto on TV…just taking a wild guess."

Andy paused but laughed. "I'll keep that in mind," he said before following me to his car.

When we were both inside he exhaled loudly.

"Wow…" he muttered.

"I know…I know, my family's a lot to handle. And my brother is impossibly overbearing," I said loudly knowing Dad could hear me.

"No, I liked them…a lot. Even though your brother scares me," he said taking my hand. I could hear Dad laughing inside. He started the engine and smiled at me for a second.

"But geez Nessie, could your family be any better looking?" he said and we both laughed as he started to drive.

* * *

We arrived at the theater with a few minutes to spare, things had suddenly gotten quiet between us as we waited in line for tickets. I knew I was thinking fiercely about what it would be like in a dark theater alone with Andy and the conversation got dry while we waited. He paid for both tickets in silence, only rolling his eyes when I offered to pay for my own. He also bought the popcorn and drinks and balanced it all on a tray as we walked into the room. We found seats in the back and quietly began to share the popcorn. As I struggled to chew the vile stuff, washing it down with the even viler coke, I could feel his eyes on me. The lights began to dim a little as the previews started, but his eyes never left my face.

"What's wrong?" I finally asked wiping my mouth, thinking there must be something on my face. Even in the darkness I could tell he was blushing, his wonderful scent got stronger and his eyes were wide.

"It's nothing…" he whispered looking down at the popcorn. I waited a moment, pretending to watch the trailer but was really concentrating on his expression in my periphery.

"It's just…" he paused as I looked back at him. "You look really amazing," he said with a soft smile.

I was blushing now as I mumbled my thanks and twirled my hair around my index finger. He sighed and he claimed the armrest closest to me, his palm facing up. As the movie's opening credits began, I lay my own palm on top of his and I felt him grin as he squeezed it and intertwined our fingers.

* * *

"Wow that movie really sucked," I said as we exited the theater still holding hands. He laughed warmly.

"Oh God, I'm so glad you said that, it was entirely unbelievable!" he said with a sigh of relief.

"We should've seen that one," I said pointing to the action thriller me and Jake had thought about going to last week.

"Seriously?" he said, his eyes wide. "I saw that last week, it was awesome! I would see it again for sure. Man I wish I knew you were cooler than most girls." He laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"Because most girls always prefer the sappy love story over the high paced action flick?" I asked.

He looked at me solemnly. "Well…at least all the girls I've dated."

I blushed. "Well maybe you were dating the wrong girls…"

"No…I was definitely dating the wrong girls. You just keep getting more and more awesome Nessie Cullen," he said shaking his head.

"You keep saying that I'm going to stop believing you," I said squeezing his arm playfully.

"You keep being perfect I'm going to have to check if you're real," he countered with a grin as he swung his arm around my shoulders.

I couldn't help it, I felt so warm inside, I leaned in and hugged him. It made him stop, taking hold of my shoulders.

"I really like you Ness," he whispered bending his head down to mine, his forehead resting on my own.

"I like you too…" I whispered, trying not to breathe in his sweet breath.

"I'm so glad you moved here," he said leaning in.

Now, keep in mind I'm a product of two ridiculous over thinkers. Mom and Dad analyze every situation they're presented with, so it's not my fault that I did what I did next.

I turned my head and he kissed my cheek instead, startling him. He took a step back but I couldn't look at him. I was breathing heavily and was suddenly afraid. Dad was right, being so close to a warm human, someone whose blood would taste so delicious running down my throat was the next best thing to actually drinking it. I struggled to slow my heart rate and catch my breath as I felt his eyes studying me.

"What's wrong?" he asked and I was alarmed to hear his voice waver sadly.

"It's just…" I couldn't find the right words. "I can't do this." I turned to look at him and surprisingly he had a look of resigned understanding.

"Ah, I thought this would happen…dammit," he said punching the wall in irritation.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"That guy…that ridiculous model looking tall guy I saw you with at the Diner that one time," he said staring at the wall and not me.

"Jake?" I asked, wrinkling my brow. What did Jake have to do with this?

"Your boyfriend?" he said in a tough, emotion filled voice.

"What? No…Jake's not my boyfriend," I said laughing with relief and moving over to him. He turned only his head to look at me and seemed to be contemplating his thoughts.

"So…what is it? I'm not good enough for you…am I?" he asked.

"What? No Andy…you're wonderful, you're TOO good for me!" I argued.

"Are you kidding? You're this unbelievably gorgeous, amazing person and I'm just this ordinary guy. No one has ever made me feel inadequate the way you do just by being in the same room!" he said squeezing his eyes shut and collapsing onto a bench.

I really wasn't sure what to say about that one, so I just sat next to him.

"I'm sorry…I know that's not your fault. But I was a fool to think you could like me half as much as I like you…" he whispered, holding his head in his hands.

"Andy, look at me," I said sharply, pulling his head to look into my eyes. The blue was more subdued now, duller and greener.

"It's not you…"

He laughed in a bitter way and I smiled.

"No really…it's just, I've never done this before," I said, blushing furiously.

"What?" he asked, an eyebrow shooting up.

"This is the first real date I've ever been on and I'm not really sure what to do…or how to handle it…"

He stared at me, clearly trying to understand.

"I really can't figure you out Cullen…" he said with a side smile.

"You're not the easy crossword yourself," I countered.

"Well…want to try again?" he asked, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear. I nodded silently, my heart pounding. There was no way I would lose control now. I just wanted to stop thinking.

"Don't think alright?" he said with a small laugh as he pressed his lips to mine. I felt tingling all over and my heart beat must've gotten faster. I felt him part his lips and knew immediately that this was going too far. I really couldn't kill him, so I pulled away and smiled shyly as he collapsed back into the bench.

"Wow…" was all he muttered as his cheeks started to return slowly to their regular color. As I felt my own blush fade, I heard it.

The loud howl of a wolf. And then, even though I have no idea why…I wanted to cry.

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_**A/N: Review please :)**_


	7. Discoveries

_**A/N: Sorry, sorry for the epic wait!! Life got in the way. I hope you enjoy this chapter...it's pretty intense and was therefore hard to write! Enjoy though :)**_

Chapter Seven: Discoveries_**  
**_

"Renesmee!" I heard Dad yell from the bottom of the stairs. I rolled over in bed and ignored him, pulling the pillow over my head.

"Young lady, I can hear every word you're thinking and you're in BIG trouble. Come down here, RIGHT NOW!" he yelled again.

"EDWARD! Will you shut up and leave her alone!?" Mom snapped.

"Bella! He…he KISSED HER!" Dad retorted.

"Well you kissed me on our first date, so shut up," she said smugly, making me grin into my mattress.

"I did not! I barely touched you in that restaurant in Port Angeles."

"That wasn't our first date!"

"Regardless Bella, I'd known you for months. She's known this boy for a week!"

"Oh, Edward lighten up! I hardly think you need to worry about Nessie moving too fast in a relationship."

Although Alice was defending me, it was embarrassing to listen to, especially when I heard Jasper and Emmett laughing raucously.

"Why? Can you see something?!" Dad snapped at her.

"Yes, but you know I can never be sure when the future involves Nessie or Jacob or humans…"

"You were always sure with me!" Mom argued.

"That's because you were intrinsically linked with Edward, Bella. And I don't see any new vampires on the horizon…"

I didn't completely understand that one, but I was glad the topic had shifted from getting me to come downstairs. I felt miserable. Not because of anything that Andy did. I had enjoyed every moment of my date with him and knew he was now my boyfriend. But for some reason the moment was spoiled because all I could think about was how Jacob was

missing and that left a hole missing in me too.

Just my luck, my father hears everything I think.

"Renesmee Cullen, you come down here right now before I come up there and MAKE YOU!" Dad yelled.

"Edward!"

Sighing, I trudged down the stairs, ignoring my father's glaring eyes and sat down on the bottom step.

"Ok Dad, let's hear it…" I said putting my chin in my hands.

"How dare you kiss that boy when I specifically told you not to!?" he said in a calm, velvet voice which made me a little afraid.

"Well Dad, I couldn't exactly stop the moment to stay, 'hey Andy…you know my overbearing older brother? Well he's actually my Dad and he forbids me from kissing you…"

"Don't you give me any cheek, young lady!" Dad yelled and if he was human, I swear his face would've turned red.

"Renesmee, your father just wants you to be careful…" Mom spoke gently.

"Well, I am being careful! Has he told you anything else about what I'm thinking?! Did he even pause to consider why I was upset instead of jubilant? No…because all he thinks about is himself!" I screamed, losing my temper.

"Renesmee! Watch your tone! Don't talk about your father like that," Mom said sharply.

"Of course, take his side. None of you even care! I wish Jacob was here!" I shrieked, running to the front door.

"Nessie!" Grandpa Carlisle placed a hand on my arm. "Don't run off like this!"

"Jasper! Do something," Alice whispered and suddenly I felt my senses dull.

"No! I'm sick of being controlled like this. If I want to be mad, I'll be mad!" I yelled, trying to pull myself out of the sereneness I'd felt wash over me.

"Darling, calm down please!" Grandma Esme tried, pulling me to her.

"No grandma, I just need to leave."

"You will not leave this house like this!" Dad said stiffly.

"I hate this. It is so unfair. I'm the only one being treated like a little baby and I'm not! Not anymore."

Mom looked like she was going to cry, if she could and spoke with a wavering voice. "Renesmee, please…what's gotten into you?"

"I'll be back later," I said trying not to look at her face.

"She will be," Alice spoke up thankfully.

"Alice…" Dad said in a warning tone.

"Edward, let her go…" Rosalie said.

"This is ridiculous!" Dad said angrily, heading to the kitchen to the garage.

"Renesmee, be careful," Mom said quietly and hurried after him. I heard the Mercedes start and I sighed heavily.

"Well, your parents are gone now kid…you could just stay," Emmett spoke up.

"Please," Esme whispered.

And then there was a knock.

"Ah…" Alice said with a slight smile.

Whirling around, I threw open the door and there was Jacob bare-chested with a sad but intense look in his eyes.

* * *

We sat by the water, looking at the sea thrash around.

"Where have you been?" I asked quietly.

"Finishing up school," he answered curtly.

"Are you angry with me?" I asked, biting my lip nervously.

He sighed deeply and shook his head. "No Ness, I just wish you hadn't forgotten about me."

"What are you talking about Jake? I haven't. I've cried everyday I thought you were mad."

"But you went on that date. And you kissed him."

"How…how did you know?" I asked in alarm.

He didn't say anything, just looked at his feet.

"You followed me, didn't you?" I accused, my voice shaking.

"I had to make sure you were safe. I was surprised Edward didn't do it himself."

"Exactly Jake, I already have a father!" I snapped.

"You think that's what it is?" he snapped back.

"Well then what is it Jake? I feel like everything has changed."

"Well maybe it has."

"Why though? What happened to you always being there for me? I needed you to meet Andy and instead you just followed us."

"I couldn't meet him. I didn't want to see how perfect you were for him, Ness!" Jacob sighed and looked up at the star-filled sky.

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't. I guess I'm destined to strike out, again and again and again…" he said in a sad resigned voice.

"What are you talking about Jacob!?" I said pulling at his arm.

"Did Bella ever tell you about our relationship when she was human?" he asked, turning to look at me.

"No…but Dad did," I said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Dad had said Jacob needed to tell me something, but suddenly I was afraid to hear it.

"I was in love with her."

"You loved Mom? Did she love you too?" I asked, still feeling a little stunned despite already knowing this information.

He laughed in a knowing sort of way and his mouth twisted into a smirk.

"Oh she did. But not as much as she loved Edward."

"You don't seem too upset about that…" I replied in confusion.

The smirk immediately vanished and Jacob looked serious again.

"Well…turned out there was a reason for it all. Something that made the most sense in the world…"

"But?" I asked quietly.

"But…now its everything that's screwing with my head."

"I don't understand Jacob…"

He sighed heavily and I watched his eyes follow the young boy selling candy for his basketball team.

"Do you want some chocolate?" he asked vaguely.

Distracted, I glanced at the boy.

"No…he's only got peanut M & M's…" I answered, thinking about how he knew I hated nuts. Chocolate was a wonderful human creation…nuts just ruined it.

He rolled his eyes and beckoned the boy over, digging in his pockets as he did so. Eventually he pulled out a dollar and exchanged it for the candy. I watched every move with such frustration I could barely breathe.

"Jacob…"

He didn't answer and instead, just cracked the round chocolate open to extract the nut. Wordlessly, he handed me the pieces of chocolate and popped the nut in his mouth. I sat stunned for a moment. It was only Jake that would do this for me. He was the only one who could make the best of any situation, just so I would be happy. It tugged very sharply at my heart as I swallowed the delicious part of the chocolate and accepted the next piece he gave me.

"Did anyone tell you about imprinting?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah…Embry did once when I met Emily," I said quietly, feeling suddenly sick. I didn't want to hear about how Jacob had imprinted on my mother but was destined to stay alone because she loved my father more than him. The thought…the idea made me want to bawl like a baby.

"Yeah…I knew that, I just was afraid I'd need to explain it again," he said uncomfortably.

"So…you imprinted on Mom," I said feeling a metallic taste rush into my mouth.

He sighed deeply and shook his head. "No Ness. It wasn't your Mom…"

I inhaled, processing this. "But you have imprinted on someone…"

He laughed bitterly. "Yeah. I should've told you a long time ago I guess…but I just sort of thought everything would fall into place easily…"

"I don't think I know what you're saying Jacob…" I said shakily, feeling terrified.

"Gosh Nessie, do I need to spell it out for you?" he said irritably.

"Apparently so!" I snapped back.

He turned then…finally to look into my eyes. The familiar chocolate brown brought me comfort despite the slight fear I saw in them.

"It was you Ness. It was you the whole time. I was in love with Bella…because part of her was always you."

I was stunned. This hadn't been what I was expecting at all. I had expected with some depression that it had been some other girl who'd tragically left him or had some horrible accident. Something that would explain his behavior recently. And while this explanation filled a lot of holes, it suddenly made even more. How was I supposed to react?

"But…I was a baby…"

"You know who Embry imprinted on though…" he whispered, his eyes on the pavement.

"Yeah but he's like a big brother to that 10 year old…." I said. And suddenly I understood. "…Just like you used to be."

"And soon he'll be her best friend…" he continued.

"And then…they'll be together, won't they?" I said, my eyes suddenly feeling watery.

He chuckled in his rough way and chokily said, "Well…unless some guy called Andy gets in the way…"

I slapped a hand to my heart.

"Wow…wow Jacob…I.."

"Please don't try to say anything Nessie…it only hurts," he said as he curled his fingers around the hand I'd thrust into his open palm.

"But…you…you're my best friend Jacob. More than that…I.."

"Can't resist that level of devotion?" he said with a half smile. "I know Ness. It must be nice to know someone else's world revolves around you…"

"Jacob…my world.." I started but he put a light hand over my mouth.

"No Ness, don't pretend that it's the same for you. If it was…you might've thought about me instead of Andy. You might've remembered me when you were out with him."

"I did though Jacob! As much fun as I had with him, I couldn't enjoy it fully without you!" I protested, trying to hug him.

He wrapped his arms securely around me and whispered into my ear.

"I'll always be here for you. You just needed to understand why this was hard for me."

I was crying now.

"But I don't want to lose you!"

"Who said anything about losing me?" he tried to joke.

"It feels that way Jacob! If I decide to keep dating Andy…how will you…?"

"I told you Ness. Even if you don't feel the same way…I'm yours. I always have been. Besides, I've had tons of practice with rejection."

"I'm not rejecting you though!" I argued.

"Not even thinking about it, that's rejection Ness…" he said with a weak smile. "Anyway, Edward is probably furious. I've kept you out late enough and I'm sure I'll get an earful once he can hear both of our thoughts…" he said standing and pulling me up with him.

"But we need to talk about this," I said as I followed him to the car.

"What's there to say now Ness? It's not like I won't be around forever for you," he whispered with a painful smile.

I cried the whole way home and the worst part was, as much as I'm sure he wanted to…Jacob didn't console me the entire way.

_**A/N: What d'you think? Enjoy the return of Jacob?**_


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